Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd
like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward
slash connect. If you feel called to give, go
to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at
any time you feel called to make a change in
your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the
message. Good. So good to see everyone. Standing
room only. It's beautiful. If you're joining
us from home, welcome. Thank you for sitting
on your couch and hanging out with us. So we're
in the final week of our March message series
called Minefield. It's been a great month, great
series so far. Would you agree? Okay. Not too
excited about it, but that's okay. I know for
me, I'm thinking and seeing a little bit clearer
in the last few weeks discussing these issues.
And today, I simply want to talk about a category
of mental health that a lot of people don't always
address. Here's the reality. We have a spiritual
enemy. Many of us know that. And see, our spiritual
enemy attacks those of us that are pursuing the
heart of God. As we've been working through this
series, maybe we've made some changes. Maybe
our mental outlook is a little bit clearer. And
typically, we always think that our enemy comes
at us when we're struggling. But see, he often
attacks us harder when we're healing and desiring
to be more like Jesus. And in the changes that
we've been making over the last few weeks, these
changes have begun to solidify. which has allowed
us to grow closer to God. We've been experiencing
a little bit more peace, a little bit more joy,
a little bit more hope in our life. Maybe you're
sleeping a little better. Maybe the anxiety is
not as constant. Maybe you finally made some
decisions that you've been putting off. Maybe
that self -doubt has been silenced and you've
received that you are, in fact, a masterpiece.
Well, see, it's when those truths solidify in
our heart, that when fear begins to whisper?
What if these changes, what if this progress
doesn't last? What if that problem, that addiction
that I once had returns? Am I really better?
Was I really healed? See, those thoughts are
real. Those whispers are true. And the Bible
addresses them in many different places. So today
we're going to close out our Mind Field series
by simply discussing the importance of protecting
our minds, taking care of our minds so that we
can think clear, so that we can see clear, and
that we can truly walk in abundance. So let's
open in prayer. Holy Spirit come. God, we just
acknowledge that you're already here. We're grateful
for your presence and your peace. God, I just
silence any distractions in Jesus' name. And
God, I just pray that you would open our minds,
our hearts, our ears to receive your truth today,
God. May we all be changed as we gather together.
In Jesus' name, amen. So that leads us to our
first truth today. See, Jesus wants his followers
free. Jesus wants his followers free. Paul writes
in Galatians chapter 5 verse 1, so Christ has
truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay
free and don't get tied up again in the slavery
to the law. Now the context of this verse, Paul
is speaking about the freedom from the law. But
this principle, this principle about being free
applies to any area of our life that Jesus sets
us free from. We are in fact free indeed. And
I want to show you a very direct and very literal
translation of this verse. It's from the English
Standard Version, the ESV. And this translation
reads, For freedom Christ has set us free. Now
notice, Paul uses the same root word two times
in the same sentence. Freedom and free. That's
called a cognate construction. And Paul is using
the same root word, not by accident. It was actually
by choice. Paul is trying to show us that freedom
was the intention. That's why Jesus came. Jesus
came, yes, to forgive us our sins, but he didn't
just come to forgive us our sins. He came to
set us free from the burden of the law and the
things that hold us hostage in this life. Anything
that's less than God's will for your life, Jesus
desires to set us free from it. How do I know
that? Well, Jesus shared these words in John
chapter 8, verses 31 to 32 and 36. Jesus said
to the people who believed in him, you are truly
my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free. And then in verse 36 he says, so
if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
So obviously Jesus wants to set us free from
this worldly grasp. That literally grabs a hold
of our spirit, grabs a hold of our minds, and
pulls us away from God. For example, many of
us can reference this chain. It's a real chain.
It's not plastic. I'm not going to break it in
my own strength. Thank you, Steve. All right,
it's a steel chain. Weighs about 20 pounds. And
imagine this chain represents all the different
issues that we've been addressing with our mental
health in this series. All the things that hold
us back. Scarcity, fear, anxiety, guilt, shame,
negativity, lust, sin. And quite often when those
things are in our life, we want to break free
from them and we try to do it in our own strength.
But it's just not possible. This chain can't
be broken. And when we try to fix it in our own
strength and in our own will, then suddenly we're
going to God constantly asking for forgiveness.
God, forgive me. I'll try harder tomorrow. God,
forgive me this time. I won't mess up again.
I won't use again. I won't look again. I won't
say those words again. And we're constantly going
back to God day after day after day, seeking
the forgiveness, which is good. But Jesus doesn't
want us to come to him every single day struggling
with the same sins, struggling with the same
issues. He wants to do what? He wants to free
us. But see, when we try to do things on our
own strength, we're not able to do that. We just
get more and more consumed with guilt and shame.
We get overwhelmed. We feel like we're not good
enough. And that's when the enemy then takes
a lock and he puts it into the chain and he seals
it shut. And then we feel like we can't move
anywhere and we're stuck. But see, Jesus always
gives us the key. And do you know what the key
is? It's him. He is the key. We have the key
available to us. Whenever we choose, we just
have to choose to what? We have to choose to
use it. And when we use it, then the chains can
come off, not in our own strength, but in his
strength. The point is, Jesus came to set us
free. Freedom isn't something we earn. It's something
Jesus gives. Paul says it this way. Christ has
truly set us free. But then he takes it a step
further and he says, hey, church, make sure you
stay free. Don't get tied up again. In other
words, fight to stay free. How do we do this?
How do we do this? often attacks us harder when
we make changes. When we desire to become more
like Jesus, we join a growth group. We're in
now what? We join a team, right? We're serving
in the church. We're going to give away flowers.
Maybe some of you signed up to get baptized.
Now you're second guessing it, right? He'll fight
you when you're down. But once you start to make
changes, looks out because he wants to bring
you back down to where you once were. He wants
you to go back into bondage. And how do I know
that? Well, 1 Peter 5, 8 reminds us, hey, church,
stay alert. You're a great enemy of the devil.
He prowls around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour. So Paul is, again, reminding
us, stay alert. Resist him. Stay firm in the
truth of Jesus. See, we can't just walk blindly
through life once Jesus sets us free. Because
if we just walk blindly through life, the enemy's
going to tempt us and he's going to lure us back
to what? Back to the chains. Because he knows
when we're in bondage, we're no good for God's
kingdom. See, Jesus doesn't just want to free
us one time. He wants us to live free all the
time. And we have to be careful in this. Paul
again writes in 1 Corinthians 10, 12, if you
think you are standing strong, be careful. not
to fall. Now it's interesting where he writes,
be careful. Because notice Paul doesn't say,
if you're feeling weak, be careful. If you're
feeling empty, be careful. If you're feeling
vulnerable, be careful. No, he says, if you think
you're standing strong, if you think you got
it all together, be on guard. Be careful. Because
some would argue that the most dangerous moment
spiritually is not when you know you're vulnerable,
but when you think you're not. When you think
you got it all together. Be careful. Be careful.
Be careful. Which moves us to address three ways
that we stay mentally strong. Three ways staying
mentally strong. Which leads us to our first
one. We have to be careful about our inputs.
Be careful about our inputs. And you say, well,
what does that mean? We have to be careful about
what we allow into our minds. Okay, just think
about your iPhone or whatever kind of phone you
have or your iPad or your computer, whatever
comes across your feed. How's that? The music
you listen to, the shows you watch, the people
you talk to. I want you to think about your inputs.
Why? Because whatever gets your attention gets
into your thoughts. And your thoughts, they may
start real small, but they don't stay small.
See, once those thoughts begin to take root,
they start to grow and then they start to spread.
And the more you think a thought, the easier
it is to think that thought because God created
our mind to have these things called neural pathways.
And we make these neural pathways in our brains,
good and bad. And if you're thinking on the wrong
thoughts, they're going to take you in the wrong
direction. And that's why Paul wrote in Philippians
4 .8, Dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable,
right, pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think
about things that are excellent and worthy of
praise. See, Paul says to think about what you're
thinking about. Think about what you're thinking
about because your thoughts shape your mind,
your mind shapes your heart, and your heart shapes
your life and where you're headed. That's why
Solomon wrote these words in Proverbs chapter
four, guard your heart above all else for it
determines the course of your life. In other
words, be careful about your inputs because what
fills your mind fills your heart. What forms
your heart determines the course of your life.
And please don't overlook this truth. Every single
one of us need to be open to what the Spirit
of God will show us today. Reflect on what you
look at. Maybe how you relax in the evening.
What do you stream? What movies do you watch?
What shows are you into? Now reflect on what
you listen to. What type of music? What genre?
Now ask yourself, are these two helping me become
more like Jesus, or are they pulling me away?
Are these two strengthening my mental outlook,
or is it weakening me? Is it building my faith
in God's truth or is it creating anxiety and
fear? Do I feel left out? Do I feel depressed?
Is it helping me get stronger in the kingdom
of God and more secure in my relationship with
Jesus? Or is it distracting me from the truth
that sets me free and keeps me free? Because
when you scroll through our culture today, which
many of you are doing, some of you are doing
it right now. You're literally asking God for
a peace of mind. God, I need peace. And you're
feeding your mind with things that cause you
anxiety. See, what you consume every day, if
it makes you feel angry, fearful, insecure, empty,
anxious, left out, if it makes you feel anything
less than a masterpiece of God, change the input.
Change it. You have the power to do it. Think
about this. Social media went mainstream in 2004,
followed by Instagram launching in 2010. It's
only 16 years ago. Now look at the numbers. Anxiety
and depression has doubled in teens and young
adults. 16 years. And the crazy thing is social
media is now normal. For most of you, it's just
a normal thing. But just because it's normal
doesn't mean it's healthy. Now, some of you,
social media is a gift. It's mostly good. You
stay in touch with people. You learn interesting
info. You post random cat photos. You know who
got married. You know who's having a kid. For
some of you, it's good. For the others of you,
it's literally wrecking your life. And if you
take an honest look at it objectively, you would
say the experiment has gone totally wrong. So
if the results aren't healthy, what should we
do? Change it. Are there benefits? If the answer
is yes, then they're mostly benefits, then enjoy
it. If the benefits is costing you your mental
health, then change the input. Now, some of you
think, well, Chris, I don't do social media.
Good, God bless you. Maybe you're scrolling the
news in the evening. And then suddenly you can't
sleep at night. You're having nightmares. Don't
look at the news. Choose not to be informed.
If you're streaming shows that literally lower
your standards and desensitize you to sin, makes
swearing normal in your life. It's just a normal
pattern. Makes looking at other people having
sex on TV acceptable. Maybe you should change
what you're watching. Just saying. If you're
listening to music with a great beat that makes
you move your body, but the lyrics are encouraging
you to compromise your faith, you might want
to change what you want to listen to. Be careful
with your inputs. Well, Chris, I don't want to
be religious. Good, I'm not religious. But I
also know that there's things that I can put
into my mind that are going to pull me away from
God rather than pushing me closer to him. You
don't have to be religious to make a change.
Just choose to live a godly life. Number one,
it's all about your inputs. Be careful about
them. Which moves us to our second focus. Be
careful about our habits. And this is so important
because as you're growing in your mental health,
your habits sustain your mental health. How do
you heal? You heal by God's grace, forgiveness,
freedom. and hard work. You stayed healed by
God's grace and healthy habits. The habits you
keep will keep you healthy. Paul said this in
Galatians 6 -7, you will always harvest what
you plant. There you go. In other words, what
you sow over and over again brings to harvest.
If you have healthy habits and are practicing
them, you're going to have a healthy harvest.
If you have unhealthy habits, you're gonna have
an unhealthy harvest. So what do we do? Well,
if there was something that was hurting you mentally
in your past, create healthy habits that keep
you free in the future. And it could be anything.
Again, back to anxiety. Maybe anxiety is ruling
your mind. Then create a habit of the first thing
you do when you wake up is to spend time with
God in prayer and reading the Bible. Can I get
an amen in that? All right, but here's the habit
you have to create. That's a good thought, but
you've got to set your alarm 30 minutes earlier.
Some of you are like, okay, I'm out. Do you see?
See, the habit is not the devotional time. The
habit is setting the alarm 30 minutes earlier
so you can have the devotional time. And when
we allow the truth in the Bible to rule our minds,
Comfort comes to our spirits and it guides our
very steps. See, we're creating habits for us
to stay healthy. For some of you, you're burnt
out. You're working too hard. And you're working
so hard going in so many different directions,
it's literally destroying your life. Okay, take
a truth from the Bible called the Sabbath, where
there's a day that you don't work, you don't
go to work, and you turn off your phone so you
can recover. You might then find that when you
live God's way, you're more productive the other
six days of the week. God's promises are true
and set us free. If you find yourself always
feeling left out, you're doomsday scrolling.
My life is empty. Everyone else's life is amazing.
She's having a massage. She's spending time in
the sauna. Now she has new shoes and a boyfriend
that put the ring on it. I'm bored, stuck, and
empty. Look, if that makes you feel bad, limit
yourself to 20 minutes a day on social media.
Stop doomsday scrolling. If you don't like the
outcome, change the input. For me, personally,
I've been struggling with adoption lately. It's
been a long 20 years of church planning and pastoring
you. I love you. So the week after Easter, we
have decided to give our entire staff the week
off. Why? Why? Because we need it. And I didn't
even recognize it. I was going to keep on working.
Thank you, Tracy. And whoever else came up with
that idea. Why? Because that's just in my nature.
I work and work and work and work. But we have
to intentionally create a habit for all of us
to stay what? Healthy. You have to do the same
thing. If you find yourself consistently struggling,
look at your habits. Certain habits make you
struggle more. Certain habits make you become
healthier. Remember, how do we heal? We heal
by God's grace and hard work. We remain healed
through God's grace and healthy habits. That's
why Paul said in Romans 12, brothers and sisters,
I plead with you to give your bodies to God because
of all he has done for you. Let them be a living
and holy sacrifice, the kind you'll find acceptable.
That's truly the way to worship him. And he continues.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world.
Let God transform you into a new person by changing
the way you think. If it's normal in this world,
it doesn't have to be normal in a Jesus follower's
life. Because we are not of this world. We are
now a part of the kingdom of God. Be careful.
with your inputs. Be careful with your habits,
which leads us to our final focus. Be careful
about our relationships. Proverbs 13, 20. Walk
with the wise and become wise. Associate with
fools and get in trouble. And we thought mom
quoted that. See, if you find yourself struggling
mentally today, look at your friends. Look at
who you're hanging out with. After all, 1 Corinthians
15 says, don't be fooled by those who say such
things, for bad company corrupts good behavior.
And again, back to Proverbs chapter 12, the godly
give good advice to their friends, the wicked
lead them astray. Let's pause and look at our
relationships. If you're trying to stay mentally
healthy, you cannot spend a lot of time around
people who make you sick. If a friend of yours
starts to pull you back away from God, love them,
encourage them, but redefine the relationship.
You don't want to be shaped by them, but you
can still love them. I mean, this is an obvious
truth to all of our friends in recovery. We have
a lot of friends that gather with us on Sundays
that are in recovery. And all of them know that
if you're addicted and you're wanting to get
free of drugs, You don't want to spend the night
at your drug dealer's house. Because chances
are you're going to use. That's obvious. But
so often when it comes to our mental health,
it's not as obvious to us. But if you begin to
notice that every time you hang out with a certain
friend, you walk away feeling a little dirty,
a little less like Jesus, and you're becoming
more critical, more angry, more bitter, or more
negative. Maybe it's time to stop spending so
much time with that friend and redefine the relationship.
You love them, you encourage them, but you don't
spend a lot of time with them. And if you want
to get mentally healthy, you want to stay mentally
strong, you have to recognize that everyone from
your past doesn't have to come into your future.
Sometimes you have to let the past be the past.
So we have to be careful about our inputs. We
have to be careful about our habits. And we have
to be careful about our relationships. And let's
just pause there a second. Just focus on and
think about who and what is shaping your life.
And remember Paul's words. Be careful. Be careful.
Be careful. Stand strong. Practical wisdom from
the Bible. But quite often when it comes to that
practical wisdom, it's good and we stop right
there. But we have to remember there's a spiritual
component. We have to feed our spirits as well.
Because if we only focus on the physical and
the practical side of life, then our relationship
with Jesus suffers. And then the filling of the
Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit
isn't there. And then we rely on our own strength,
which leads us back to the chains, which leads
us back to the temptation. So we have to remember.
It's a both -and approach. Practical, wisdom,
yes, and spiritual. Which leads us to our spiritual
focus. Prayer is powerful. We have to be prayerful.
Why? Because prayer touches the heart of God.
Prayer moves the heart of God, and God responds
to our faith in prayer. That's why Paul wrote
in 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, stop praying. And we
have to understand that truth. We have got to
apply that truth. For example, if you struggle
with anxiety, it's both physical and it's spiritual.
It's both and. It's not one or the other. It's
physical because of what we're putting into our
minds, whether it be the news or relationships.
But it's also spiritual because we're not getting
advice from God and allowing him to direct our
steps. Do you feel depressed? There could be
a very real physical component to you feeling
depressed. For example, maybe your hormones are
out of whack. Or your vitamin deficiency. Or
you could just be going through a very difficult
season of life. But there's also a spiritual
nature. It's both and. Do you feel angry? You
may be a victim of abuse or someone that harmed
you in your past, and you don't want to live
that way because the Bible says in your anger
do not sin, but you also have to embrace the
spiritual side. If you're struggling mentally,
emotionally, physically, remember we're a body,
we're a spirit, and we're a soul, meaning our
mind. The spirit lives in the body. The body
takes care of the mind, and God cares for everything.
See, our battle is not just against flesh and
blood. It's not just against people. It's not
just against the world, but it's spiritual. We
have an enemy. We have to be prayerful. And for
so many of you, you're like, well, I don't even
know how to pray, Chris. I don't even know what
that means. I hear it all the time. I don't know
the right words. I don't know what to say. I
don't know what God wants me to hear. And then
here's Paul telling me to never stop praying.
How do I do that? Three simple steps. Are you
ready? First one's this. Just keep it simple.
I was going to say stupid, but I didn't. But
I did. Keep it simple. Prayer is not about the
words. It's not a script that we follow. Prayer
is about connection with God. That's all it was.
Jesus never required complicated prayers. Never.
He never said that only the pastors should pray.
He never said that. Matthew chapter six, verse
seven through eight. When you pray, don't babble
on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers
are answered merely by repeating their words
again and again. Don't be like them. For your
father knows exactly what you need even before
you ask him. Think about that. God isn't impressed
by length. He's not impressed by words. He's
not impressed by posture. You know what God responds
to? Sincerity. God responds to honesty. God would
rather hear a help me than a perfectly orated
speech. He would rather hear you say help me.
And for those of you that don't know how to pray,
if you can talk, you can pray. And if you can't
talk, then chances are you know sign language.
And I believe God knows sign language too. Because
he knows our what? Hearts. He already knows what
we're going to say before we even say it. So
for you to say you don't have the words to say
is a complete lie. For example. God, I'm tired.
And tell him why you're tired. God, I need you.
Tell him why you need him. How about starting
our day with, God, thank you for allowing me
to wake up today and breathe a big, fresh breath
of air. And tell him why you're thankful. That's
how we pray. There shouldn't be one person that
says, I don't know how to pray. or what to pray.
If you know how to talk, you can pray. Which
leads us to our next step in becoming prayerful.
Keep it honest. Keep it simple. Keep it honest.
We already learned when Jesus shared that God
already knows our hearts. He knows what is happening
in our lives. You know what he's waiting for?
He's waiting for us to be real. He's waiting
for us to be honest. He's waiting for us to stop
pretending that he doesn't know because he does.
And in the Psalms, David didn't hide his emotions.
Notice Psalm 22. My God, my God, why have you
abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I'm
going for help? Every day I call to you, my God,
but you do not answer. Every night I lift my
voice, but I find no relief. When's the last
time you prayed that prayer? Because if you're
struggling, that's what should be coming out
of your mouth. David prayed in fear. David prayed
through anger. David prayed through confusion.
David prayed through doubt. Read the Psalms.
It's all in there. And here's the reality. God
can handle our truth. Even the messy parts that
we want to hide from him. And see, the struggle
for many of us is when we hide it. We hide it
because we know if we bring it to the light,
that change will happen. And we're afraid to
bring it to the light. So I want to challenge
you this week. Bring it to the light. Because
that's when freedom begins. You don't have to
clean yourself up before you talk to God. Be
honest with him. God, I'm mad. I'm angry. I'm
upset. I'm frustrated. This happened in my life.
I lost my job. I can't pay my bills. I'm drowning
in debt. I don't understand, God, what is happening
in my life. Why are my children struggling? Like,
talk to him. Well, what if I don't hear back
from him? Keep talking. And then give him time
to speak. Because quite often we don't hear back
from him because we don't shut up enough to listen.
We just want to tell him all of our pain and
all of our doubt and all of our frustration and
how we're just mad at him, but we won't listen
long enough for him to speak. Honest prayers
build a real relationship with Jesus. Honest
prayers allow for us to trust him with our lives,
which leads us to our final step in becoming
prayerful. Keep it real. Keep it honest. Keep
it going. It's not a one -time thing. It's not
a prayer that you pray before a meal. It's literally
a lifestyle. 1 Thessalonians 5, 17. Never stop
praying. Now, some of you are like, Chris, how
do you do that? How is it that you never stop
praying? It's not that you never stop praying.
It doesn't mean you just pray nonstop all day.
It's about being connected to Jesus. That's what
it means. It's about relying on the Holy Spirit.
That's what Paul is telling us when he says,
never stop praying. By the way, for those of
you that have never memorized a verse, oh, I
can't do it. They're too long. Guess what? I
found a verse for you to memorize that's not
that long. Look. Look. I think we can all memorize
it together. What do you think? Let's all try.
1 Thessalonians 5, 17. Are you ready? Never stop
praying. Yeah, you did it. Give your neighbor
a high five. Give them a high five. Give your
neighbor a high five. Why are you staring at
me? Give your neighbor a high five. Jeez. You
did it. It's a reminder. Don't just pray when
life is falling apart. Never stop praying so
it doesn't. Like remain in prayer. Practical
ways to keep it going throughout today. You ready?
Just talk to him before your feet hit the ground
when you wake up. Holy Spirit, come fill me with
your presence. Give me direction today. Pray
and worship in your car on the way to work because
you're going to need it. And then more importantly,
pray and worship in your car on the way home
from work because you don't want to bring that
garbage to your family. Pray over every meal,
especially the ones you're at work. Pray before
you fall asleep. Pray when you're in crisis.
Pray when you have to make a decision. See, keep
coming back to God even when you don't feel like
it. And then you're going to realize the connection
is real. See, consistency in prayer builds strength
over time. Keep it simple. Keep it honest. Keep
it going. And what was that verse we just memorized?
Man, awesome. This sermon is a win. Check it.
Because you learned something. Let's all stand.
All right. We're not done by a long shot. So
just because I'm making you stand, I'm creating
healthy habits for you because you are tired
of sitting. So just everyone relax. So I was
praying about how to close out this series and
I felt like I needed to read the Bible over you.
I felt like I needed to read scripture over you
because the scripture is truth. And there's a
section in the Bible that refers to us standing
strong and remaining faithful in him. It's in
Ephesians chapter six, verses 10 through 18.
And Paul says it this way. A final word. Be strong
in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on all
of God's armor so that you'll be able to stand
firm against all the strategy of the devil. For
we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies,
but against evil rulers and authorities in the
unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark
world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly
places. Therefore, church, put on every piece
of God's armor so you will be able to resist
the enemy in the time of evil. Then, after the
battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand
your ground. Stand it. Put on the belt of truth
and the body armor of God's righteousness. For
shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good
news so that you will be fully prepared. In addition
to all these, hold up the shield of faith to
stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation
as your helmet and take the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God. Pray in the spirit
at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert
and be persistent in your prayers. For all believers.
Everywhere. So Holy Spirit come. Seal that truth
in our hearts today God. Release your presence.
Your peace. Your joy God. And empower. This community
of faith. To stand firm. To stand strong. In
your truth. By your power. In Jesus name. Amen.
And listen, I want to encourage some of you lovingly.
As I was praying about, praying a simple prayer,
and many of you know I pray a simple prayer every
single week, that I needed to challenge a certain
category of people. Next week is Easter. And
we're going to see a huge influx of people that
you invite to be here. And the crazy thing is,
many of those people are going to attend a church,
and they're going to think, I'm checking the
box. My relationship with God is okay. And simply
stated, for many of them, it's not. Because church
isn't about checking a box. Church isn't about
going to church. And I felt like God said to
me that there were going to be people here this
week that you've been in church your whole life.
It's just become a part of what you do. But unfortunately,
it's not about the relationship with him. It's
about checking that box. So I want you to search
your heart if you fall into that category and
ask yourself, am I in a relationship with Jesus?
Am I forgiven? Is he my Lord? Do I make him my
priority? Do I know the difference between living
in the world and being of the world? Do I know
that difference? Do I want to be in the world
living for him, bringing his kingdom to it so
other people experience new life? Or do I just
use it as a crutch, an excuse to move forward
and say, I'm a Christian and I'm okay? So allow
the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart this morning
and answer that question for yourself. Because
we're going to pray a simple prayer. And if you
know that you're distant, far from God, or haven't
started that relationship, start it right now
as we all pray it together. Amen? Let's pray.
Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt. shame,
regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I believe
you're God's son. I believe you died for me.
Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit.
Help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name,
amen. There are several words of knowledge I
want to share with you, but one word was around
John chapter 5. And in John chapter 5, Jesus
came up to a pool at Bethesda, and he found a
lame man, a man that was lame for 38 years. Jesus
looked at him and said, when Jesus saw him and
knew he had been ill for a long time, he said,
would you like to get well? And I believe Jesus
is asking that same question to us. And my challenge
to you is don't be like the lame man. Yes, he
walked away healed, but notice his answer. I
can't, sir, the sick man said, for I have no
one to put me in the pool when the water bubbles
up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.
That's an excuse. The lame man had an excuse
for not getting well. I believe all of us now
know that Jesus is initiating grace for all of
us. He initiates grace. It's our faith that makes
us heal and whole. And for some of you, you need
to step out in faith, believing that God's gonna
heal you for anything that you're struggling
with in this life because in your life, it's
pulling you down mentally and you need a breakthrough.
And the words of knowledge were, you have constant
and consistent headaches that you're struggling
with every day. Pain on the top of your left
ankle or foot. pain at the base of your neck
that goes down into your right shoulder. You're
struggling with overwhelming fear that doesn't
allow you to experience peace. If any of those
are you, I want to encourage you to step out
in faith, get some prayer, get some healing.
And if you did commit your life to Jesus, our
baptism is this Friday on Good Friday. We have
a worship night and a baptism. Be a part and
experience God's grace. Love you guys. Can't
wait to celebrate Easter with you next weekend.
I'm coming, Frank. God bless you.